The London Stone, also known as the Stone of Brutus, is an unassuming piece of history. It’s located at 111 Cannon Street in London, behind a grate in the wall of a disused office building.
You can see its resting place on Google Street View, directly underneath a “Shop To Let” sign. It’s an extremely understated home for an object that folklore deems to be necessary to London’s very survival.
The stone has been in London for thousands of years. Legend says it used to form part of an altar built by Brutus the Trojan, mythical founder of the city.
Poet William Blake portrayed it as a site of pagan sacrifice. Sir Christopher Wren suggested it may have been used by the Romans as the starting point for measuring distances from London, as it was located in the center of the city.
It’s been mentioned by Shakespeare and Dickens. A proverb about the stone says “So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish.”
It’s been moved many times, and survived disasters including the Great Fire and the Blitz.
Until recently, it was under the charge of Chris Cheek, who happened to run the sports shop in 111 Cannon Street’s lower floor.
The best view of the stone was from inside the shop, through a glass window just below the cricket equipment.
This was arguable quite fitting because understatement and cricket are about as English as anything can be.
As the To Let sign from Google Maps indicates, that shop is no longer open.
The future of the stone is uncertain, and it may well be moved to a museum, at least temporarily.
The building is due for demolition, so it can’t stay where it is.
Chris Cheek thinks the mystery of the stone’s origin is part of its appeal, saying “If it doesn’t have a beginning, then perhaps it doesn’t have an end either.”
You can see its resting place on Google Street View, directly underneath a “Shop To Let” sign. It’s an extremely understated home for an object that folklore deems to be necessary to London’s very survival.
The stone has been in London for thousands of years. Legend says it used to form part of an altar built by Brutus the Trojan, mythical founder of the city.
Poet William Blake portrayed it as a site of pagan sacrifice. Sir Christopher Wren suggested it may have been used by the Romans as the starting point for measuring distances from London, as it was located in the center of the city.
It’s been mentioned by Shakespeare and Dickens. A proverb about the stone says “So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish.”
It’s been moved many times, and survived disasters including the Great Fire and the Blitz.
Until recently, it was under the charge of Chris Cheek, who happened to run the sports shop in 111 Cannon Street’s lower floor.
The best view of the stone was from inside the shop, through a glass window just below the cricket equipment.
This was arguable quite fitting because understatement and cricket are about as English as anything can be.
As the To Let sign from Google Maps indicates, that shop is no longer open.
The future of the stone is uncertain, and it may well be moved to a museum, at least temporarily.
The building is due for demolition, so it can’t stay where it is.
Chris Cheek thinks the mystery of the stone’s origin is part of its appeal, saying “If it doesn’t have a beginning, then perhaps it doesn’t have an end either.”
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